


Blue valentine

by Oli Grey (NeroliGrimm)



Series: How the Stars Shine for You [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Light Angst, M/M, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 12:11:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9820040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeroliGrimm/pseuds/Oli%20Grey
Summary: Continued from Coffee for Beginners.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A Klance (late) Valentine's day story.

Keith cursed loudly as he regretted not taking Lance up on his offer to pick him up. The wind whipped icy air around him making his lungs freeze as he struggled to breath. He burrowed his face into his scarf to keep the sting away. The weather was so cold he wanted to cry as he sidestepped around patches of ice on the sidewalk.

A week had already passed since New Years and the weather barely made it to the double digits. He had rejected Lance's offer to stay with him when the temperature hit the negatives. He did spend most of the time at Lance's but he always went back to his place to sleep. They were taking things slow as they had planned.

They met up for lunch whenever Keith had free time from work. Even though Lance hadn't lived in the area that long he had found a lot of interesting places that surprised Keith. The new places helped Keith step out of the small world he had lived in for so long. 

There was a small cupcake shop in particular that became his favorite. He would request strawberry and cream cupcakes whenever Lance wanted to drop in on him while he was working. Lance happily indulged him whenever they were in stock.

He was suppose to met up with Lance later that night for dinner. He wasn't sure where Lance was going to take them but he had said to wear something nice. What did he mean by that? Was this a dress shirt and slack attire event or just a no holes jean wearing, nice casual button down shirt type? He didn't even know if he had anything formal.

He had time to pick something from the shop on his way home which was why he was walking in the freezing cold in the first place. He stopped at the first clothes store he found and looked around. He had no idea what he was looking for and a sympathetic sales person helped him with his search. He settled on a pinstripe blue and black button down with dark grey pants.

Keith tried to ignore the price of the outfit as the cashier smiled at him. He was glad he had recently cashed his check. The outfit wasn't too fancy but was decent enough that he wouldn't embarrass himself wherever Lance was going to take him. He just hoped he didn't need a tie.

 

Lance picked him up a little after seven. He was a little nervous when he met Lance at the door. His eyes roamed over him and a small grin spread across his face. 

“Where have you been hiding your fashion sense?” Lance laughed as he blocked a halfhearted hit from Keith and wrapped his arms around him.

“Your freezing,” Keith huffed as he pushed the taller man away from him.

Lance pouted a little at his action, “It's not much better in here.”

Keith scowled at him as he threw on his jacket, “Let's just go.”

 

They arrived at the restaurant at eight. Keith wasn't expecting a half hour drive outside of the city. He was unfamiliar with the area. A lot of hotels and restaurants filled up most of the vicinity with a few small shops shoved in like an afterthought.

The restaurant Lance bought them to was a Korean bbq. The building was lit up with soft purple lights and lanterns were flickering by the entrance. The place looked packed with noisy groups of people. Keith was hesitant to open the door to the car.

“Is this too much?” Lance asked as he studied Keith's rigid posture.

Keith relaxed his shoulders as his hand gripped the handle. “No it's fine, just wasn't expecting something like this.”

Lance smiled gently as he leaned over to peck his cheek. “Truthfully I've never been to a Korean bbq before.”

“Did you have to pick the most high class looking one?” He gave him an unamused look.

“Go big or go home as some say right?” Lance puckered his lips and Keith swatted him away.

 

They ordered a six course beef tasting set with kimchi jjigae soup. Keith hadn't had kimchi in a long time so he savored the soup. The beef was delicious and Lance seemed to be enjoying himself as the food disappeared.

Lance refused Keith's offer to help pay as the bill arrived. Keith felt a little upset because he had told him about his insecurities about his previous boyfriend always paying for things. Lance assured him he wasn't expecting anything in return though if Keith wanted to surprise him with a gift later on he would be very appreciative.

On the way home Lance stopped at a small area that had a great view of the stars. The smog of the city was far enough away that the sky was unpolluted and clear. They sat together on the back of his car as stars winked at them. They remained silent, huddled together to keep warm as their hands found each other.

 

After two weeks Keith met Hunk. He had a big personality with love for food and engineering. He was incredibly smart but was frightened easily. He was also Lance's best friend. Their personalities anchored each other. Hunk would put Lance in his place whenever he went too far with his jokes and Lance would support Hunk whenever he had anxiety issues which was often.

Keith only had to spend one evening with the two to understand their dynamics. Lance had been lucky to have Hunk in his life. He found he couldn't help himself from smiling most of the time they were together.

The school semester had started which kept Lance busy but they still managed to find time to spend together. Keith would watch movies at Lance's with Storm curled in his lap. Sometimes he would watch Lance work on paintings for his class. He found the movement of the brush on the canvas soothing as he swirled colours around the white background.

Life seemed to be going smoothly with them as the days passed. By the end of the month Keith noticed that Lance started to act different whenever they were together. He would cut their time together short claiming he had a big project to work on. Keith understood though he was a little bummed about not seeing Lance as much.

On a day Keith had off of work he decided to visit Lance at school. Hunk had mentioned he had a two hour painting class. He waited outside the door where he had been directed not wanting to disrupt the class. He checked the time to see if the class would end soon. He had five minutes so he checked his messages to pass the time.

People finally started to trickle out so Keith slipped into the room. He spied Lance in the corner cleaning up his supplies. He made his way over to him while Lance was too busy with his task that he didn't see Keith approach.

When Lance finished he spun around and his eyes landed on him. His froze in surprise then his eyes darted around as if he was caught doing something he wasn't suppose to.

“H-hey Keith,” he chuckled nervously. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I would visit you,” Keith informed blandly as if it were obvious. “You seemed busy lately.”

“Oh,” Lance shifted in his spot. “Well we could eat a quick lunch before my next class.” He tugged nervously on the neck of his shirt.

Keith narrowed his eyes wondering why he was acting so uneasy. “Sure.”

“Great,” Lance laughed as he ushered him out of the room. “There's a pizza place right around the corner.”

Keith studied him as he followed. His tension from earlier seemed to have left and Lance was smiling at him as if nothing had happened. Keith pushed the doubt that he was feeling down as Lance talked about his art projects.

 

 

Keith: would it be okay if I came over?

Lance: Now's not a good time sorry ):

Keith: busy with something?

Lance: Yeah, school stuff

 

Keith stared at his phone moodily. He knew texting wasn't a good way to judge someone's attitude but Lance seemed to be brushing him off more. He wanted him to concentrate on his classes but this was the third time this week and it was only wednesday.

 

“Do you think he's seeing someone else?” Keith stared at his tea as if the golden liquid would have all the answers.

Allura huffed at him as she laid her hand over his. “I highly doubt that.”

“Yeah,” Keith didn't sound convinced.

Allura sighed, “He's young and I find it hard to believe that he has experience at leading a double life.”

“He's barely younger than me. He's the flirty type, he probably has experience.”

Allura gave him a look and he closed his mouth.

“I'm an idiot.” Keith pushed his face against his palms.

“You're not wrong,” Allura stared down at him with just a little pity in her voice.

 

The next day Lance showed up at his place unexpected. He wore a cheeky grin as Keith answered his door. He would have thought that Lance wouldn't have ventured out since the temperature had fallen to below freezing. Luckily this would be the last cold front before the weather would start to warm up.

“What are you doing here?” Keith asked.

“Hi to you too.” Lance didn't try to hide the hurt in his voice.

“I'm sorry just wasn't expecting you to show up.” Keith explained as he ushered him inside.

Lance stepped inside as he smiled fondly at him. “I should have contacted you first.” 

“It's okay,” Keith smiled and wrapped his arms around him. “I don't mind at all.”

“I just wanted to stop in and tell you how much I missed you.”

“You could have just sent me a text.”

Lance sighed but laughed, he wasn't sure if he would ever understand Keith straightforwardness but that was one of the things he liked about him. “It's more fun to say in person and I can see your face as you blush.”

Keith pushed his shoulder away as his face did just that. “You're hopeless.”

“I know,” Lance leaned in to kiss his cheek.

“We could go someplace tomorrow maybe see a movie.” Keith said hopefully.

Lance hesitated before he replied, “I have class.”

Keith furrowed his brow. Lance was looking away from him. The flush on his face told him more than Lance was saying. “You only have class in the morning.” He stated blankly. Keith had memorized his schedule when Lance had shown him earlier.

“I need to work on a painting,” Lance had turned to look at him when he said that. Keith stared into his eyes but couldn't make out what the taller man was thinking. He was hiding something from him. The buried pain that he had pushed down was rising in him at the thought that Lance was lying to him.

Keith backed Lance against the wall, placing a hand against the spot next to his head. Lance's eyes were wide as he flattened himself against the hard surface. Keith kept space between their bodies not wanting to trap him but he wanted Lance to tell him what his deal was.

“Are you hiding something?” Keith prodded. He wanted to keep his insecurities down but he could not smother the old insecurities.

“N-no, trust me,” Lance stuttered as he sidestepped to the door. “I just need to finish something for class I swear.” He looked away with a flush.

Keith pulled away, letting his hand fall away from the wall. “Okay,” he whispered as he clenched his hands into fists, his fingernails stabbing against his flesh to anchor himself from letting his anxiety show.

“I'm serious,” Lance tried to make eye contact with him but Keith kept his eyes lowered.

He was scared that Lance would start a 'if you can't trust me then it's not worth it' conversation but he didn't as a silent minute passed before he heard the door shut. Keith's body slumped forward as if the door shutting had let the tension run from him. A month into their relationship and he was already messing everything up.

His fears and doubts were still hovering over him like a dark storm. He was scared he had made a mistake with this relationship when he was still recovering from his past. He closed his eyes as he pushed those thoughts away. Instead he pictured Lance as he grinned up at him with Storm curled in his arms. Lance was different. He was silly and made him happy. He wouldn't hurt him intentionally.

His thoughts turned bitter as he tried to keep the pain from overwhelming him. What if he was the one to hurt Lance in the end? He wasn't an expert on healthy relationships. He had grown up with strangers and within the last few years of his life he had finally found friends that he could put his trust in. Beyond that he was at a loss as he had always found himself being used by his boyfriends.

His relationship with Lance was still fragile. They were still learning each others habits. He had to trust in Lance, he knew this but that ugly hole inside him was gaping open and spewing out all the horrible thoughts that he had tried to repress. He needed to find a handle on his emotions before he scared Lance away.

Instead of letting depression set in he decided to call Hunk. They had sent each other some simple texts but he had never called him. He answered on the second ring and Keith smiled at his lighthearted greeting.

“Hey Hunk,” Keith responded. He had never been comfortable talking on the phone but he didn't want to text him about this.

“What's up?” Hunk asked. Keith could hear pots rattle in the background.

“Are you busy right now?” he asked uncertainly.

“Naw, just preparing some dinner for my little sisters.” Hunk responded. “I'm good at multitasking so go ahead and ask me anything.”

Keith breathed out wondering if he should even be saying anything to Lance's best friend.

“I-,” Keith stared out at the dark world through his window, “I think I'm reading too much into this but I think Lance is avoiding me.”

There was a muffled noise on the other end and Hunk hissed as the sound of a pan hitting the floor made its way to Keith. “Uhh... what makes you think that?”

Keith paused wondering if he had overstepped his boundary. “I don't know, just odd things, like Lance's behavior, and every time I call him on it he sidesteps the topic. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, this is still new to me.”

Keith waited for Hunk to reply and he hoped that he hadn't offended him by asking. Finally Hunk replied in a lighthearted voice, “Trust me he's not avoiding you. He's probably just stressed with school, sometimes he gets like super edgy when he's overwhelmed.”

“I'm sorry for bothering you about this, I just figured something was up and if anyone would know it would be you.” Keith hoped that Hunk wouldn't say anything about the conversation to Lance. He didn't want Lance to think he was clingy as he pried his friend for information about him.

“Nah it's cool,” Hunk had a voice that could soothe away his worries and he felt his shoulders relax. “I want you to know you can ask me anything if something is bothering you.”

“Thanks Hunk.” They talked for a few more minutes until he could hear Hunk's little sisters join him and he excused himself so he could finish the meal he was making.

Keith felt a little better after the conversation. In the morning he would apologize to Lance and everything would be fine. He didn't want to bother Lance at the moment especially if he was busy.

 

Keith woke to a text from Lance. He had apologized for last night and the message made him feel worse. He was the one who should say sorry for his attitude. He replied as much before preparing for work. He wanted to ask Lance if he could see him that night but he knew that he would be in class late.

The day dragged on too long as his mind replayed his encounter with Lance, his memory playing tricks with him as each loop painted a darker version of the event. He sighed as he finished helping someone, wishing the day was over with. He only had two hours left.

Keith spaced out as he kept himself busy. One of the tables that held books for their valentine's day display was constantly messed up do to indecisive hands wondering over the books trying to determine which book would make a good enough present. He had lost count on how many times he had to make the display presentable again. 

Valentine's day was coming up in less than a week. Keith wasn't sure if Lance had any plans for them for the day. He hadn't mentioned anything to him at all. Maybe they weren't at that stage in their relationship yet. Keith had never felt the need to celebrate the day with his previous relationships.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a familiar lilting voice. “Hey cutie.”

Keith turned at the endearment and grinned as Allura stood before him.

“Long day?” She knew him too well.

He looked at her as his expression conveyed how long the day actually was.

“Poor thing.” She patted his hair, “We can go and have some drinks if that will help.”

“I'll pass, I think sleep is all I need right now.”

Allura pouted, “You sure about that?”

“Maybe later,” Keith didn't want to talk about Lance and he knew Allura would want to bring him up.

“Still a little rocky with Lance?” Keith cursed as Allura had brought the subject up any way.

“Yeah but its just me being well... me.” Keith shrugged as he fiddled with the books on the display table.

Allura gave him a sympathetic look, “It's okay to feel insecure but you know talking is the key to a healthy relationship.”

Keith mock glared at her. “I know.” He sighed, “Yeah maybe I'm putting too much pressure on him. He has a lot on his hands already.”

“Being in a relationship isn't suppose to be a burden.” She gripped his shoulder. “You are not a burden.”

Luckily it was late enough that no one was around so he didn't feel guilty about having a personal conversation. “I know but it's hard not to think like that.”

She gave him an encouraging smile. “I'm here if you ever need to vent.”

“I know.” Keith smirked at her. “Now were you here for something or just came in to harass me?”

 

The weekend had come and left all too soon. Keith and Lance had sent a couple texts to one another but they hadn't seen each other since their encounter thursday. The texts were lighthearted and Lance sent a lot of heart emojis which Keith rolled his eyes at but he couldn't suppress the relieved smile that split his face. He missed Lance.

Monday and tuesday had been busy at the bookstore as he found himself constantly helping people. Most of the requests were for help with finding the right poem book or a cheesy how to make handcrafted v-day decorations. He wondered why so many people made a big deal out of commercialized holidays. He wasn't really a fan of chocolate and always hated when his classmates had given him gifts when he was younger.

He was happy when he finally finished work and made his way home to relax- maybe take a bath and end the night reading a book. He would send a text to Lance asking how he was doing before sleeping. Keith had been too busy to really hold a conversation with him and he felt guilty.

He had just finished dressing after his bath when he heard a knock at his door. He looked at the clock and it was just barely after six. Water droplets streak down his cheek from his damp hair and he quickly towel dried his head before flinging the towel in the corner before opening his door.

Lance was standing before him, cheeks pink from the cold. He smiled sheepishly at him and Keith was too stunned to do anything until he beckoned Lance to come in. The other man was carrying a mid-height thinly wrapped package and Keith eyed it warily. The bundle looked big enough to be a frame.

“Please don't tell me that's a cheesy valentine's print.” Keith said jokingly. He wouldn't be surprised if Lance had bought him one of those valentines posters that had xoxo or love printed dramatically across the canvas surrounded by pink and red hearts. 

“Damn I should probably return this then.” Lance shifted his gaze away from Keith with a pouty look.

“Is that really what you have?” Keith lost his teasing tone and moved to take the parcel.

Lance pulled it away as he backed up. “I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this.” He shrugged and Keith couldn't tell if he was serious or joking.

“If its a gift for me then I don't care what it is,” Keith said softly, his face felt warm as they reddened.

Lance lifted a hand to cradle his cheek, tilting his face so Keith would look at him. “Then I really hope you like it.”

“Wait,” Keith stopped him before he could give the wrapped package to him. “I didn't buy anything for you, I didn't even think you had anything planned.”

“It's okay,” Lance wiggled his eyebrows at him, “all I need is your love.”

Keith tsked as he hit him lightly on the shoulder but he couldn't hide the blush that rose over his cheeks. “Whatever, fine just give me my gift.”

Lance hesitated for a moment before finally handing over the package. He suddenly looked nervous as Keith held the gift, looking down as he shifted his feet. He couldn't help but think that Lance was adorable.

He grinned at Lance as he ripped the brown paper uncovering the frame. He paused as he stared at the canvas, losing the ability to breath- he looked back at Lance who wore a self-conscious look as he tried to gauge Keith's reaction.

“Oh my god Lance...” Keith couldn't find the words to convey what he was feeling.

Lance looked away, “I know its stupid but I-” Before he couldn't finish his sentence, Keith framed Lance's face with his hands and kissed him. Lance didn't move for a moment but finally engaged him as Keith put all his feelings into that kiss.

Once Keith pulled away Lance said breathlessly, “So you like it?” He was still acting shy as though Keith's appreciation kiss never happened.

“Lance, I love it,” Keith looked at the painting again, “no one has ever done something like this for me.” He wasn't sure if his heart could handle the emotions that filled him as he gazed at the delicate brush work.

“I was so nervous about giving you this, I mean it's not my greatest work-”

“Shut up,” Keith kissed him again. Lance was smiling warmly when Keith stepped back.

The painting was of them the night they had gazed at the stars, Lance had taken a selfie of them, smiling as they huddled together with a starry background. Keith could see the detail he had put in this and he couldn't believe that he had done something like this for him. There was no way he could ever top a gift like this.

“What the hell,” Keith could feel tears brimming his eyelids. “Thank you Lance.”

Lance pulled him into his arms. “This took me forever to finish.” He laughed. “I had to bribe Hunk not to say anything you know.”

Keith blushed as he remembered his conversation with Lance's friend. He burrowed his face into Lance's chest. “I feel like the worst boyfriend.”

Lance slipped fingers through his damp hair, “I'm not the best at hiding something, there were so many times I almost spilled my secret.”

“I'm sorry for how I reacted.”

Lance kissed the top of his head. “I understand. That one day you came to my class I almost lost my shit right then, if you had looked around you probably would have seen it.”

“I knew something was up,” Keith giggled. “Now I feel really bad.”

“Don't,” Lance pulled away to look into his eyes. “I don't blame you or anything, I'm just glad nothing bad happened.”

Keith remembered when he had blown up at Lance. “I'm going to make it up to you.”

Lance smirked at him playfully, “Yeah?”

“Not like that,” Keith blushed as Lance laughed.

Lance became serious as he held onto Keith. “I would go to the park just thinking about home and how much I missed my family.” Lance confessed as he bowed his head. Keith felt his heart tighten as he stared at an image of a lost boy in an unfamiliar place. “Then when I met you it was like all my loneliness disappeared. I wanted to do something special for you.” 

The words settled deep in him and Keith could feel the love that Lance held for him, something profound that he had never experienced before in his life. Keith pulled his gaze from Lance. With all that had happened he hadn't thought much about a gift for Lance. He stared out the window, looked at the stars that barely shined through the foggy lights of the city. He stared at the snow that was slowly melting from the recent spike of warm weather.

His eyes widened as a thought came to his mind. He stepped away from the taller man, startling Lance. He held a hand out to him and Lance placed his hand in his and Keith pulled him to the entryway.

“Come on, put on something warm.” He commanded.

“Keith?” Lance's eyes were searching his but Keith was already flinging on his jacket on and pulling a hat over his head.

“Hurry.” Keith watched as Lance did as he was told and Keith was leading him outside within minutes, heading to the park that was close to home, the park that he had first seen his lost boy.

The trees were still decorated with lights around the ice rink. The night was late enough that there were only a few couples attempting to glide across the frozen surface. He looked back at Lance, his face was tinted red from the chill in the air but his eyes were shining blue as he stared at the rink.

His hand found his and squeezed as he walked him to the stand to rent ice skates. He could feel Lance's heat even through their gloves. He knew this wasn't the best present ever or the most romantic but Keith hoped that Lance would appreciate the idea.

Keith hadn't ice skated since he was a boy when his p.e. class had a program for a weekly outing for the winter. He wasn't even sure if he remembered how to not fall on his ass but he knew this was a first for Lance and he wanted to enjoy this with him. He was relieved to know that the rink was open for a few more hours.

Once they had their ice skates on they stepped onto the ice. Lance had his hand on his shoulder to support himself as he steadied himself on the slippery surface. He was grinning as Keith slipped a arm around his middle and led him out. He was a little unsteady as he tried to find his balance.

Their first attempts were a little rough as Lance had fallen onto his backside. He laughed as Keith tried to help him to his feet only for his skates to slide from under him but he was cushioned by Lance as he landed on him. Finally after their third attempt circling the rink they were gliding without mishaps.

They weren't great or anything as they moved slowly while the wind picked up, pushing against them. After an hour they were the last ones there. Lance moved naturally now like this wasn't his first time skating on the ice. He pulled Keith with him as he slid backwards. Keith couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face at Lance's silly smile as he let Lance maneuver them around.

Suddenly Lance spun them in a circle and Keith stumbled. Lance's arms wrapped around him before he could fall on the ice. His hands gripped the front of the taller man's jacket while Lance's arms wrapped tight around his middle. Keith giggled as he regained his footing.

Lance laughed softly with him as they held onto each other. Warmth pressed against him where their bodies connected. Their giggles died away as their eyes locked, Keith's fingers unhooked their grasp on Lance's jacket to slid them up as he wrapped his arms around his neck.

Lance said with a breathless voice, “Your eyes are really pretty.”

“I could say the same about yours but I think yours are slightly prettier,” Keith countered.

“I'm not going to fight you on this,” he smiled playfully.

“Cause you know I'll win,” Keith closed the distance between them, pressing his mouth against Lance's. Their lips were dry from the cold but it felt like the best kiss he ever had.

“This is so much better than a candlelit dinner.” Lance said and Keith couldn't agree more.

“Thank you,” Keith held Lance's hands in his. He didn't want the night to end but the rink was closing soon.

“Hmm.. we should probably leave before the attendant murders us.” Keith chuckled as the shadow of the person in the booth could be seen moving about preparing for closing time.

“Stay the night?” Keith asked softly. He knew Lance had class in the morning but he didn't want him to leave yet.

“Of course,” Lance grinned, “we can watch those lame rom-coms that are on tv.” Keith groaned as they made their way back to Keith's.


End file.
